History: The Ibn Tulun Mosque was built by Ahmed Ibn Tulun and the construction of the temple finished in 879 AD who was a slave for an Abbasid Caliph al-Muman. He was the governor from 868-884 A.D and the founder of the Tulunid dynasty. Ahmed Ibn Tulun was born in Baghdad the son of a Turkish slave. He was first established as governor of Al-Fustat but soon became emperor of the entire country. Shortly thereafter, became an independent ruler and his family ruled Egypt for 135 years. The temple was built in al-Qata'a which used to be the city center of Cairo but that moved eventually to what is now Cairo Proper. The Ibn Tulun mosque is all that remains of a glorious and magnificent city, which was destroyed after the Abbasids retook control. The mosque was then used to replace the Mosque of Amr which was too small to hold the Ibn Tulun troops. It is now the longest surviving mosque in Cairo and third longest surviving in the world.
The architecture and form of the mosque followed the Samarian style with everything built of mud bricks except for the unique minaret which was built out of stone. It is unique because the stairs up to the top of the minaret are outside and not inside and very few mosques are like this. The choice of mud brick reflects Mesopotamian influence as does the floor plan and arches. The domed ablution fountain is a reflection of the Mamluk who took cover and refuge in the temple and added the domed ablution fountain. The mosque has 19 doors and 128 windows
The Ibn Tulun mosque was decorated by geometric shapes. The walls were topped off with crenelations of people holding hands while the frieze was of rosettes and bays, which again suggests Samarian style. An interesting fact is that the Mosque has six different niches for prayers and each one was built by different people and different time periods. The main one was built by Al Afdal who was the vizir of the Fatimad Caliph Mustansir, that is very richly decorated in stucco. The prayer room is decorated in long inscriptions of Kufic which was a form of calligraphy which were carved in the wood.
One of the most interesting things to do at this mosque is to view the world wide unique minaret which was called the Ziggurat Minaret which you can see in both of the pictures featured here. It was built so as to evoke Samarra. The craftsmanship and woodworking suggests that perhaps Iraqi hands were hired to build the Ziggurat Minaret. The very tip of the Minaret was built by Lajin but was later repaired and replaced with the stone structure that still stands to this day.
"Egypt: The Mosque of Ahmad ibn Tulun." Egypt Travel, Tours, Vacations, Ancient Egypt from Tour Egypt. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2010.
The Ibn Tulun Mosque
History: The Ibn Tulun Mosque was built by Ahmed Ibn Tulun and the construction of the temple finished in 879 AD who was a slave for an Abbasid Caliph al-Muman. He was the governor from 868-884 A.D and the founder of the Tulunid dynasty. Ahmed Ibn Tulun was born in Baghdad the son of a Turkish slave. He was first established as governor of Al-Fustat but soon became emperor of the entire country. Shortly thereafter, became an independent ruler and his family ruled Egypt for 135 years. The temple was built in al-Qata'a which used to be the city center of Cairo but that moved eventually to what is now Cairo Proper. The Ibn Tulun mosque is all that remains of a glorious and magnificent city, which was destroyed after the Abbasids retook control. The mosque was then used to replace the Mosque of Amr which was too small to hold the Ibn Tulun troops. It is now the longest surviving mosque in Cairo and third longest surviving in the world.The architecture and form of the mosque followed the Samarian style with everything built of mud bricks except for the unique minaret which was built out of stone. It is unique because the stairs up to the top of the minaret are outside and not inside and very few mosques are like this. The choice of mud brick reflects Mesopotamian influence as does the floor plan and arches. The domed ablution fountain is a reflection of the Mamluk who took cover and refuge in the temple and added the domed ablution fountain. The mosque has 19 doors and 128 windows
The Ibn Tulun mosque was decorated by geometric shapes. The walls were topped off with crenelations of people holding hands while the frieze was of rosettes and bays, which again suggests Samarian style. An interesting fact is that the Mosque has six different niches for prayers and each one was built by different people and different time periods. The main one was built by Al Afdal who was the vizir of the Fatimad Caliph Mustansir, that is very richly decorated in stucco. The prayer room is decorated in long inscriptions of Kufic which was a form of calligraphy which were carved in the wood.
One of the most interesting things to do at this mosque is to view the world wide unique minaret which was called the Ziggurat Minaret which you can see in both of the pictures featured here. It was built so as to evoke Samarra. The craftsmanship and woodworking suggests that perhaps Iraqi hands were hired to build the Ziggurat Minaret. The very tip of the Minaret was built by Lajin but was later repaired and replaced with the stone structure that still stands to this day.
"Egypt: The Mosque of Ahmad ibn Tulun." Egypt Travel, Tours, Vacations, Ancient Egypt from Tour Egypt. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2010.
<http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/ibntulun.htm>.
"Ibn Tulun Mosque." Arch Net. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2010.<http://archnet.org/library/sites/one-site.jsp?site_id=2070>
"The Mosque of Ibn Tulun – Cairo's Oldest Surviving Mosque." Suite101.com: Online Magazine and Writers' Network. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Dec. 2010.
<http://www.suite101.com/content/the-mosque-of-ibn-tulun--cairos-oldest-surviving-mosque-a291159>.Patrick